The big question in this draft is who is going to take shot on picking Jayden Quaintance.
He has only played 4 games for Kentucky this season because of a leg issue. Yet he is such a defensive monster, that most analysts expect him go in the top 20 regardless of the leg or the number of games played.
His rebounding and defensive metrics are elite, but most his games are from last year at Arizona State. He's built like Dwight Howard but lighter on his feet and without the broad shoulders. If he doesn't play at all this season, no one is sure where he will land. Of the two podcasts I heard about neither seemed very concerned about his leg issue (ACL originally). Both podcasts suggested he might be in the top 5 of the draft if he had played the four games at Kentucky like he did at AZ St. But he had one really good game at Kentucky and three bad ones, and then sat him because of a hamstring I think.
Most of his video material is from Arizona State where he played last year I think, but he's added more muscle since then.
He's not much of an offensive threat (10 ppg), but he's built like some kind of super-hero now and is a beast on the boards and great rim protection. But he went from playing great to not playing very well for a few games to not playing at all now. So unless he shows up in the tournament, he may eventually fall to the late first or even second round.
Might still be 18 or 19 years old.
"HIGH SCHOOL:
Consensus five-star prospect … McDonald’s All-American … Averaged 17.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.4 steals and 1.4 assists per game as part of the Overtime Elite high school league as a junior … After reclassifying from the class of 2025 to the class of 2024, Quaintance averaged 9.9 points, 6.2 boards, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 assists on the Nike grassroots circuit in the summer of 2023 … Represented Team USA at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, winning a gold medal."
Kentucky isn't very good this year, so we may not see him much in the tournament, but he's worth keeping an eye on. The Mavs probably wouldn't take a shot given their center history, but he could shake a few things up if he gets some more games in. Earlier this year, several mock drafts had him in the top 10.
He has only played 4 games for Kentucky this season because of a leg issue. Yet he is such a defensive monster, that most analysts expect him go in the top 20 regardless of the leg or the number of games played.
His rebounding and defensive metrics are elite, but most his games are from last year at Arizona State. He's built like Dwight Howard but lighter on his feet and without the broad shoulders. If he doesn't play at all this season, no one is sure where he will land. Of the two podcasts I heard about neither seemed very concerned about his leg issue (ACL originally). Both podcasts suggested he might be in the top 5 of the draft if he had played the four games at Kentucky like he did at AZ St. But he had one really good game at Kentucky and three bad ones, and then sat him because of a hamstring I think.
Most of his video material is from Arizona State where he played last year I think, but he's added more muscle since then.
He's not much of an offensive threat (10 ppg), but he's built like some kind of super-hero now and is a beast on the boards and great rim protection. But he went from playing great to not playing very well for a few games to not playing at all now. So unless he shows up in the tournament, he may eventually fall to the late first or even second round.
Might still be 18 or 19 years old.
"HIGH SCHOOL:
Consensus five-star prospect … McDonald’s All-American … Averaged 17.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.4 steals and 1.4 assists per game as part of the Overtime Elite high school league as a junior … After reclassifying from the class of 2025 to the class of 2024, Quaintance averaged 9.9 points, 6.2 boards, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 assists on the Nike grassroots circuit in the summer of 2023 … Represented Team USA at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, winning a gold medal."
Kentucky isn't very good this year, so we may not see him much in the tournament, but he's worth keeping an eye on. The Mavs probably wouldn't take a shot given their center history, but he could shake a few things up if he gets some more games in. Earlier this year, several mock drafts had him in the top 10.